Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has hinted that he might play this week, but it’s not expected to happen, according to Bob Holtzman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait longer for Eifert to make his 2016 debut, though a Week 5 return is possible. Eifert has not participated in a full practice yet and has not done any 11-on-11 work. 

Eifert missed the bulk of the 2014 season with an elbow injury and missed three games in 2015. Last year, the tight end caught 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns. This year, he was expected to take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game, particularly with Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones out of the picture. Eifert could still be an impact player for Cincinnati, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait until October to see him in action.

After facing the Dolphins on Thursday night, the Bengals travel to Dallas on Oct. 9. While Eifert is out, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah will remain as the Bengals’ top tight ends.

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The Bengals are close to having their No. 2 pass-catcher back on the field, but their Thursday-night assignment complicates matters somewhat. However, Tyler Eifert is shaping up to be a game-time decision this week, when the Bengals host the Dolphins, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets.

Cincinnati is coming off two straight losses and hasn’t found a reliable secondary pass-catcher after the departures of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu have the group devoid of proven holdovers. C.J. Uzomah has seven receptions for 99 yards in Eifert’s stead, but the Bengals’ offense received 13 touchdown receptions from its breakout tight end last season and is now without its Nos. 2, 3 and 5 targets from 2015.

Eifert practiced Monday on a limited basis. Week 4 has served as the team’s target for its tight end for a while as he attempts to complete his recovery from the ankle surgery that sidelined him throughout the preseason. He underwent the ankle operation on May 25.

The former first-round pick missed 15 games in 2014 with an elbow injury and played in 13 games last season. So, Eifert — who is playing on the fifth-year option worth $4.782MM — will have to wait until 2017 to potentially play his first 16-game season.

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Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has just started jogging and is targeting Weeks 4-6 for his return from ankle surgery, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Eifert is keeping optimistic and hoping for a Week 4 return. It’s even conceivable that he could be healthy enough to play in Week 3, but Cincinnati is playing it safe with their star tight end (link).

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Eifert suffered the ankle injury at the Pro Bowl and the early word is that it was a minor tweak. As it turns out, the injury was worse than initially feared.

Eifert, 26 next month, had a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since entering the league as the 21st overall pick in 2013. After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, the Notre Dame alum hauled in 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 regular season contests last year.

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WEDNESDAY, 6:18am: Eifert is undergoing ankle surgery today and, according to a source, “could miss the first couple of games of the season,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The worst-case scenario is that he could be out for the first few games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, Eifert’s surgery today is minor, and the hope is he’s ready for the start of the 2016 season.

TUESDAY, 1:55pm: When Tyler Eifert suffered an ankle injury at the Pro Bowl, the early word was that it was a minor injury with estimates of a quick recovery. Months later, the Bengals have learned that is not necessarily the case. The tight end will undergo a “minimal procedure” on that ankle this offseason, according to Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer. Minimal or not, this procedure could sideline Eifert for the start of the 2016 season, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Owczarski, meanwhile, hears that Eifert will need only three months to recover.

Eifert, 26 in September, had a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since entering the league as the 21st overall pick in 2013. After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, the Notre Dame alum hauled in 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 regular season contests last year.

Eifert has been expected to take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game in the 2016 season, with secondary receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones no longer in the mix. Cincinnati signed Brandon LaFell as a free agent to help complement A.J. Green and the team also added Tyler Boyd in the second round of this year’s draft, but it was anticipated that Eifert would be in line for a career high in targets next season. Hopefully for the Bengals, Eifert will be on the field to see that plan through.

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Tight end Tyler Eifert was the second first-round rookie from 2013 to see his fifth-year option exercised, as the Bengals picked up their 2017 option for Eifert on Thursday. As such, Cincinnati will control Eifert for the next two seasons, but the club wants to keep the young pass-catcher around beyond that, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Bengals want to eventually sign Eifert to a long-term contract.

The news doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as most teams would probably like to extend their young stars. However, the key word in Dehner’s report is “eventually” — as the Enquirer scribe details, the Bengals will likely follow a similar timetable to the one used with wide receiver A.J. Green. Green, a first-round pick in 2011, had his fifth-year option exercised prior to the 2014 season, but didn’t agree to a long-term deal until September 2015. If the Bengals employ the same schedule with Eifert, he won’t be extended until next fall.

The Bengals have enough cap space (more than $16MM) that they could get a deal done now — and take on some Eifert’s prorated signing bonus on their 2016 cap — but they also have more than $54MM in 2017, good for 17th in the NFL. For his part, Eifert will count just $2.623MM against the cap in 2016 and $4.782MM in 2017, at which point (barring an extension) he could reach free agency or be offered the franchise tag.

Eifert, 25, had a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since entering the league as the 21st overall pick in 2013. After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, the Notre Dame alum hauled in 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 regular season contests last year.

Eifert may take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game in the 2016 season, with secondary receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones no longer in the mix. Cincinnati signed Brandon LaFell as a free agent to help complement Eifert and A.J. Green, and the team figures to address the wide receiver position in the draft as well, but Eifert may be in line for a career high in targets next season.

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